Foldable shelving.



M. HARTLEY. I FOLDABLE SHELVING.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 17, 1913.

Patented June 9, 19M

a d 3 llllllll LDWQI MAR-Y HARTLEY, OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS.

FOLDABLE SHELVING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented June 9, 1914.

Application filed. July 17, 1913. Serial No. 779,425.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARY HARTLE a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldable Shelving, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to foldable shelving.

There are many places, particularly in apartments, porches and other places where, at times, shelving is temporarily desired and Where the space occupied by the shclving can be available for other use at other times.

The present invention designs to provide improved foldable shelving which is adapted to support books or other articles when set up in operative position and which may be conveniently folded into small compass when not in use, so that it may be stored away in a closet and against a wall if desired, without occupying much space.

The invention consists in the several novel features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

, In-the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective of foldable shelving embodying the invention and showing the sameset up for use. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the shelving folded. Fig. 3 is a detail showing one of the locking-braces for securing the shelving in position.

The improved shelving or case comprises two side-boards or sides 10 and 11 which form supports for a series of shelves 12. Each of the side-boards is cut away as at 13 to leave space for the usual base-board and floor molding around a room, so that the shelves and sides may be placed snugly against a wall. The upper corner of each shelf 12 is pivoted to side-boardlO by a pair of hinges 14 located at the front and back of the shelf respectively. A pair of hinges is used to connect each shelf 12 with v the side-board 10 so that there will be no respectively.

lateral play between the side-board and the shelf. The opposite end of each shelf 12 has its lowercorner pivotally connected to the other side-board llby a pair of hinges 15 located at the front and back of the shelf Hinges 14 and 15 are'countersunk or set into the side-boards and shelves, so that the entire topsurface of the shelf will be available for books or other articles. As a result of this construction and manner of pivotally connecting the shelves to the side-boards, the latter may be moved together to parallel relation with the shelves laid in substantially overlapping relation flatwise between theside-boards. By employing side-boards and shelves connected in this manner, folding shelving or a rack is provided in which complete sides as contradistinguished from a skeleton rack with corner posts only can be used, and the shelves are supported substantially as firmly as if they were permanently secured to the sideboards.

Locking-braces 16, in suitable number, are adapted to secure the rack in operative position, by locking the shelves and side-boards, so that pivotal movement' between the shelves and the side-boards cannot occur. Each brace 16 is pivoted to one of the shelves as at 17 and is provided with a notch 18 as at its other end which is adapted to engage a pin or stud on one of the side-boards, and

when locked, as shown in Fig. 3, the device serves as a brace and lock for preventing the rack from collapsing. When the shelving is folded, as shown in Fig. 2, the braces 16 may be hooked around stud 2 0 to lock the shelving in collapsed position.

The invention thus provides improved shelving for books or other articles which.

can be conveniently folded for storing it in a closet or in transportation, and which, when in operative position, will be firmly supported so that a heavy load will not cause parts of the rack to assume an irregular position or to collapse. The use of the entire shelf space is not interfered with by the means which makes the folding possible and the shelving can be produced at a cost slightly in excess of non-foldable shelving. Cleats 30 may be secured to sides 10 below the shelves if desired.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

F oldable shelving comprising a pair of sides, pins on said sides at the rear edges thereof, shelves extending between the sides, said sides extending from the front to the back of the shelves, each shelf having a pair of countersunk hinges pivotally connecting one end of the shelf at the top thereof to' and engaging said pins for securing the one of the sides and a pair of countersunk shelves against relative pivotal movement 10 hinges pivotally connecting the other end of in operative or inoperative position.

the shelf'at the bottom thereof to the other MARY HARTLEY side to permit the sides to be folded in para allel relation, one upon the other with the Witnesses:

shelves therebetween, and braces pivotally MILDRED STUMPF,

secured to the shelves at the back thereof FRED GERLACH. 

